Hard To swallow
by mickys411
Summary: Ray and Jenny's son Andrew has been having trouble with eating and are curious along with worry why this is happening and what's causing it I dedicate this story to anyone out there who battles with Crohn's and or Colitis like myself
1. Chapter 1

Since the ghostbusters team disbanded sometime ago, Ray Stantz has been keeping himself quite busy.  
Not just running his book shop Ray's Oocult's, where his wife Jenny, occasionally works to hosting saonses, when she isn't working her job as a professional photographer, but teaching auto repair once a weekend at the local YMCA, which he did with his former team member Winston Zeddmore.  
Ray and Jenny also had a nearly 4 year old son named Andrew, who was the light of their lives.  
Like his parents, Andrew loved hearing stories about ghosts and the spirit world, in fact, his bedtime stories were of his dad, telling him about the days of the ghostbusters.  
And while most small children would be scared and terrized by anything related in that subject, the preschooler couldn't get enough of it.  
"Ghost story papa," Andrew would often say.  
Also despite his young age, the child was very found of books and learning.  
The one thing Andrew had issues with was eating.  
Not that he was a picky eater, but shortly before his third birthday, Ray and Jenny noticed that Andrew was starting to become intolrate to certain foods, mainly dairy, and certain vegetables like cauliflower, saying that they gave him tummy aches.  
, the pediatrician advised Ray and Jenny to be aware of the types of food that could upset Andrew's stomach.  
Being the concerned parents, Ray and Jenny read up on books and shopped carefully at the supermarket of what food Andrew could and couldn't eat.  
And for quite sometime, Andrew was feeling better and got better with his eating.  
However, close to a year later, all that changed.

One mid-morning, Ray was putting a new shipment of books on the shelves, while Jenny had just preformed a saones for two women, who were trying to summon the spirit of a deceased aunt, to get the combination of a safe, and was about to head out to the hobby shop, to pick up some film, for a wedding shot that up-coming weekend, when the phone rang.  
"Good morning Ray's Oocult, Ray answered into the phone, after he picked it up, Yes, this is his father.  
Really?  
That bad?  
Poor little guy.  
"Who's on the phone?" asked Jenny.  
"One of the teacher's aides at Andrew's preschool, he's having stomach pains and had to run to the bathroom twice already", Ray answered.  
"I'll go get him."  
"Yes, my wife is on the way to pick him up.  
Thank you for calling.  
Good-bye," said Ray, before hanging up the phone.  
"Andrew hasn't had a stomach issue like that in almost a year.  
I wonder what could have caused it," said Jenny.  
"I hope he's not coming down with anything, said Ray, Maybe it was something he ate."  
"Well, we're out of bananas, so I gave Andrew strawberries in his cereal this morning.  
"Maybe he does have a touch of something then.  
Since you're getting Andrew, I'll pick up the film on my way home."  
"You don't have to do that."  
"That's OK, I was going to the supermarket next door to get Andrew some more ginger ale anyway."  
"Thank you."  
Ray and Jenny shared a quick kiss, before she headed out the door to get Andrew from school.

"I'm home," Ray called out, when he arrived home later that evening.  
"In the kitchen," Jenny called out.  
Ray entered the kitchen, where he gave his wife a kiss.  
"How's Andrew feeling" he asked.  
"He's gone to the bathroom at least three times since I brought him home, and he still has some tummy pain," Jenny answered.  
"Well, I've got the ginger ale, some crackers, bananas, and I also got your film."  
"Thank you honey."  
"I'm going to see how Andrew is feeling."  
Ray placed the items on the counter down, and headed to his son's bedroom.

Andrew was sitting up in bed, playing with his stuffed dinosaurs, when Ray walked into the bedroom.  
"Hey little guy," said Ray.  
Andrew looked up and said, "Papa!"  
As he hugged his son, Ray asked the child, "How are you feeling Andrew?"  
"A little better," Andrew answered.  
"How's your tummy?"  
"Still hurts a bit."  
Just then, Jenny entered the room.  
"How's my favorite patient feeling?" she asked.  
"My tummy still hurt a little," Andrew answered.  
"Well, let's check your temperature to see if there's any change."  
"Does he have a fever?" asked Ray.  
"No, but it was a rather high number.  
Turn your head a bit little guy."  
Andrew turned his head facing the left direction, as Jenny placed the digital themomator in his ear.  
A few seconds later, she took it out and checked the numbers.  
"99.1.  
Still the same as earlier," said Jenny.  
"Maybe we better keep you home from school tomorrow," Ray suggested.  
"But I like school, and we're having a puppet show tomorrow.  
And Rhonda, Gerald and I are going to play together after school," said Andrew, referring to his friends, who were the kids of Winston and his wife Grace.  
"We'll see then how you feel after dinner and before you go to bed."  
"OK.  
Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom again."  
Andrew got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.  
"That's his forth trip now, said Jenny, with concern in her voice, He didn't even eat lunch, because he didn't want to keep going to the bathroom."  
"Maybe he does have a little touch of something and it could be a 24 hour thing," said Ray, How about we give him some soup tonight and see what happens."  
"OK then."

That night, Andrew was able to have some soup, along with a few crackers and ginger ale, which he said was quite tasty, and that it helped his tummy pain.  
Jenny and Ray were glad to hear that, as it was a sign that their son was felling better.  
After giving Andrew a bath, and getting him ready for bed, Jenny checked Andrew's temperature once more, and was glad to see it had gone down to just about normal.  
Andrew assured his parents that he was feel well enough to go back to school the next day.  
Ray concluded that maybe it was something that Andrew had ate by accident, and that he and Jenny will be more cautious.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Andrew was feeling 100% better and was ready to go back to school.  
Though Jenny did give him a quick check on the themomitor just to be on the safe side.  
And sure enough, the child was at 98.6 on the dot.  
Andrew was not only able to have his breakfast of cereal, bananas, and apple juice without any issues, but continued to feel just fine to go to preschool.  
Like any parent though, Jenny and Ray worried they were going to get another call from the school, saying Andrew was sick again.  
However, no calls were made.  
In fact, the only person who did get in touch with Ray was Winston, saying that he picked up not just his own kids, but Andrew as well for their play group.  
Andrew himself had a great day, seeing his friends at school, enjoying the puppet show, and later on playing with his best friends Rhonda and Gerald Zeddmore.

It was later on that night right after dinner, that Andrew was having the tummy pains again, and had to run to the bathroom.  
Jenny and Ray were getting concerned again.  
Once he got out of the bathroom, Ray and Jenny asked Andrew if he was OK.  
"A little better," the child answered.  
"Andrew honey, can papa and I talk to you?" asked Jenny.  
"Yes mama," said Andrew.  
The three of them then sat on the living couch, along with Hugo, the family's black and white tabby cat, who curled up beside Jenny, as he licked his paw.  
"Andrew, these tummy pain you've been getting, do they happen ever time you eat?" Ray asked.  
"Sometimes," Andrew answered.  
"What did you eat today?" asked Jenny.  
"Cereal with bananas and apple juice for breakfast, graham crackers and juice at snack time, for lunch I had a tuna fish sandwich with carrot sticks, applesauce and water, "uncle" Winston gave Rhonda, Gerald and I some peanut butter crackers during our play group and we had pasta with tomato sauce, bread, and cucumbers for dinner."  
"It sounds like you ate pretty "safe" foods," said Ray.  
"I think maybe we should talk to Dr. Brekowitz about this," Jenny suggested.  
"Good idea, we'll call in the morning and make an appointment."

In the middle of the night, Jenny was awoken by a sound.  
She quietly got out of bed, placed a rob on over her nightgown, and slowly walked out of the bedroom.  
Jenny saw the bathroom door open, and out walked Andrew.  
The child was holding his stomach.  
"Andrew honey, are you OK?" Jenny asked.  
He looked up and answered, "My tummy hurts mama."  
"Did you just went to the bathroom again?"  
"Yes, and it still hurts."  
Jenny scooped Andrew in her arms, went into the bathroom, and got the themomitor.  
She then took him back to his room, placed him in bed and took his temperature.  
"99.4 degrees, not a fever, but close to it," said Jenny, as she read the results.  
At that moment, Ray appeared.  
"Is everything OK?" he asked.  
"Andrew had diarrhea again, and his temperature's back up," Jenny answered.  
"I don't want to scare either of you, but I think we better take him to the hospital.  
We can't wait to call Dr. Brekowitz in the morning, if there's a major problem."  
"That actually may not be a bad idea, I don't want to take chances either."  
Ray knelt down to Andrew's height and said, "Sorry little guy, but we gotta go to the hospital.  
We want to know why this is happening."  
"OK papa," said Andrew, who surprisingly, handled the announcement well.

Ray and Jenny got Andrew and themselves dressed quickly, got into Ecto-1, which had became the Stantz family car, after the ghostbusters disbanded, and headed to the hospital.  
Thankfully, the emergency room was completely empty that night, and a doctor would see them right away.  
While Ray filled out the paperwork, Jenny sat with Andrew in her arms, kissed the top of his head, and was trying her best to remain calm for the child's sake.  
Andrew the meanwhile, busied himself with Diggy, his stuffed dinosaur he took with him, along with a change of clothes Jenny brought in case he had an "accident" on the ride over.  
Only a few minutes after arriving, an orderly arrived with a small wheeled bed showed up for Andrew to ride on to see the doctor.  
Jenny and Ray followed the two to an examining room.

Once they arrived in the examining room, the orderly told Jenny and Ray that the doctor will be in shortly.  
And sure enough, only mere seconds after the orderly exited the room, the doctor, a man who appeared to be in his late 30's to early 40's, dressed in dark green scrubs with a white lab coat on top of them entered.  
"Dr. and Mrs. Stantz.  
I'm Doctor Patrick Tillman, I'll be examining son, said the doctor, as he shook hands with Ray and Jenny, looked over at Andrew at the wheeled bed and said with a smile," And you must be Andrew."  
"Yes am I doctor," said Andrew, trying to sound brave.  
"And how old are you?"  
"Three and a half."  
"According to your paperwork, you have a birthday coming up.  
Is there anything special you want?"  
"Some matchbox cars and a remote control dinosaur."  
"I can see you love dinosaurs.  
Does yours have a name?"  
"Diggy.  
I got him for Christmas."  
The way the doctor talked with Andrew put Ray and Jenny at ease.  
"OK now Andrew, I'm going to give you an examination to see what's going on with your tummy," said Dr. Tillman.  
He then gently began to feel around Andrew's stomach, which made the child laugh.  
"Does that tickle?" the doctor asked.  
"Heheheheyeshaha," Andrew giggled.  
But when the doctor placed his hands on the center of his stomach, Andrew made another sound.  
"Ouch!" Andrew yelped, but surprisingly didn't cry.  
"That's the spot where he's been having all the pain," said Jenny.  
"Along with going to the bathroom more often than before," Ray added.  
"Looks like we're going to have to do a scan," said Dr. Tillman.  
"Is it going to hurt?" asked Andrew, who was now feeling a bit nervous.  
"No, it's just going to take pictures of your insides, so we can see why you're not feeling well."  
"OK then."  
While Ray and Jenny were now more nervous at the fact that now testing had to be done on their child, they however knew that the doctor was making the right decision.


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Tillman wheeled Andrew's bed to another part of the hospital, which was the X-ray and radiology department.  
Although due to hospital regulations that Ray and Jenny weren't allow to be in the room with Andrew, they were able to see what was going on, looking through a large viewing window in the waiting area.  
Meanwhile, Dr. Tillman told Andrew to lie very still for the test, which he did, and if he was too scared to let him or the techs know.  
Surprisingly, Andrew wasn't the least bit scared at all.  
Ray and Jenny were very proud of their son, as was Dr. Tillman.  
Since it was such a quite night, the doctor was able to get the scan results, within 20 minutes of Andrew completing the test.  
ushered Ray, Jenny and Andrew into an office to go over the results.

Once everyone got situated in the office, gave the results.  
"The good is we didn't see anything to be alarmed about.  
No sign of tuomors or anything suspisionus.  
I did however noticed that there appears to be inflammation in the intestants, mostly the small intestants and especially around the ileum," The doctor spoke.  
"What does that mean?" asked Jenny.  
"It's most likely Andrew has an Inflammatory Bowel Disease."  
Jenny and Ray's faces were now crestfallen from what the doctor told them.  
"How serious is it?" asked Ray.  
"It's looks like only a small amount of inflammation, but it could get worse if it's not taken care of.  
"I'll send the report to Andrew's pediatrician, and she'll be able to recommend a pediatric gasto and digesting specialist, said Dr. Tillman.  
"Will Andrew have to stay overnight here?" asked Jenny.  
"Not to worry, it won't be necessary.  
But get in touch with his doctor right away.  
In the meanwhile, I think it maybe best to keep Andrew home from preschool, until the problem is figured out.  
Better that he stays home, and not take any chances.  
I'll write a notice for you to give to his teacher."  
"Doctor, we can't thank you enough for everything you've done," said Jenny.  
"It's what I'm here for.  
Now, be sure that Andrew gets plenty of rest and stays hydrated.  
If he still has diarrhea, over the counter medication will take care of it.  
However, bring him back here if he starts having a lot of blood in his stools."  
"We will doctor, and we'll start taking notes of what Andrew eats, how he feels, even how many bathroom trips he makes during the day," Jenny suggested.  
"That's a good idea.  
I'll write down what you can give him for the stomach pains and diarrhea in the mean time," said Dr. Tillman, as he jotted something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Ray.  
"Thank you once again for everything doctor," said Ray.  
"You're quite welcome, and I have something for Andrew as well."  
Dr. Tillman opened the desk draw, took out an item and handed a sticker to Andrew.  
"Thank you Dr. Tillman," said Andrew, as he placed the sticker onto his shirt.  
"You're welcome Andrew," said the doctor.  
Andrew then let out a yawn.  
"I think the best thing now is to get this little guy home for sleep," said Ray.  
Jenny and Ray collected the notes from Dr. Tillman, thanked him for his help once more and left his office.

During the car ride home, Andrew fell asleep in his booster seat.  
Once they arrived home, Ray carried Andrew into the house, placed him into bed, and let the child sleep.  
"Good night little guy," said Ray as he and Jenny kissed their son goodnight.  
Even though his eyes were closed, Andrew asked, "Papa, can I stay with you and mama?"  
"Of course you can sweetie," said Jenny.  
Ray picked Andrew out of his bed, along with Diggy, took him into his and Jenny's room and placed him in the middle of the bed, while Jenny slept on one side and Ray the other.  
Although it was nearly 4 in the morning, as Andrew slept, neither Jenny nor Ray were able to fall asleep, as they had a lot on their minds.

As night turned into morning, Ray and Jenny decided that both were going to stay home with Andrew that day.  
Ray got in touch with Samuel, a young college who helped Ray run the bookstore on weekends to see if he wouldn't mind taking care of the shop that day, as he was unable to come in due to his son's illness.  
Samuel had no problem at all, as he didn't have any classes that day, to which Ray thanked him.  
Afterwards, Jenny got in touch with Dr. Brekowitz to see if she had gotten the report from Andrew's emergency room visit and if she would be able to see him.  
Dr. Brekowitz told Jenny to bring Andrew right over, as there were no appointments that day.  
Thankfully, Andrew had been up for sometime and Ray and Jenny took him to the doctor.

At the pediatrician's office, Dr. Brekowitz gave Andrew an examination as it was close timing for him to get a check-up anyway.  
During the visit, Andrew told Dr. Brekowitz about his trip to the emergency room, and how nice Dr. Tillman was.  
"You had quite the night Andrew, and I'm so proud of you for being so brave about," said the doctor.  
"We really are proud of him, he wasn't scared, nor did he cry," said Jenny.  
"We are very concerned about the inflammation Dr. Tillman told us," Ray added.  
"Judging by what I saw in the X-rays, his reading are exactly correct.  
It does look like a Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but we can't pin point which one it is until Andrew sees a specialist," said Dr. Brekowitz.  
"Can you recommend one?" asked Jenny.  
"My husband is actually a pediatric gastrologist and digestion doctor.  
I can call him up and book you an appointment."  
"Samantha, we don't want to put you through any trouble," said Ray.  
"It's no trouble at all.  
I'll give him a call after you leave and we'll see about getting Andrew in."


	4. Chapter 4

When his check-up was completed, Andrew was rewarded with a sticker by Dr. Brekowitz , then Ray and Jenny treated him to a trip at the Central Park playground for all the child's been through with doctor's appointments and the visit to the hospital.  
Andrew himself was feel pretty good most of the morning, however, shortly after having lunch and a local eatery, his stomach pains returned, and once the family returned home, Andrew raced right into the bathroom.  
Jenny then made a note of what her son had eaten in the last few hours.  
While that was going on, the phone rang, and Ray answered it.

"Hi Samantha.  
Actually, we just came home a few moments ago.  
Andrew had to run to the bathroom, the second we came got back.  
Yes, Jenny is writing down what he ate today.  
Really?  
You did?  
This up-coming Monday at 11 am.  
Perfect.  
Thank you again Samantha for everything.  
I'll let Jenny know.  
Thank you again.  
Good-bye."

Ray hung up the phone, turned to Jenny and said, "Dr. Brekowitz got us an appointment for Monday.  
"Just wrote it all down.  
Where is the office?" Jenny asked.  
"Very convenient, just three blocks down the road from her office.  
Andrew then came out from the bathroom.  
"Do you feel any better Andrew?" Jenny asked.  
"A little bit since I went to the bathroom," Andrew answered.  
"Any more tummy pain?" asked Ray.  
"A little."  
"Well, on Monday, we're going to see Dr. Brekowitz's husband.  
Dr. Brekowitz," said Jenny.  
"He's going to help you get better," Ray added.  
"I hope he's nice like Dr. Tillman was," said Andrew.

That weekend, Ray and Jenny kept Andrew distractic on not thinking about the doctor's visit.  
Since Jenny had to photograph a wedding on Saturday, Ray took Andrew to the bookstore with him.  
The child busied himself with coloring, and playing with his toys, as Ray and Samuel did their work at the shop.  
And on Sunday, the Stantzs family spent the day together with a visit to the aquarium, and playing games at home.  
Jenny and Ray also carefully monitor what Andrew ate during those two days as well, although it was a little bit of a struggle, as Andrew was afraid to eat anything, as he feared it will make him go to the bathroom.  
Though his parents assured him that if it does happen, they wouldn't be mad and Andrew will know not to eat whatever it was that made him sick again.

On Monday, Ray and Jenny took Andrew to see the specialist.  
Since it was a quiet day at the office, the family was taken to see the doctor moments after signing in.  
Shortly after a nurse lead the Stantz family into an office, a gentleman in is mid to late 30's entered the room.  
"Dr. and Mrs. Stantz.  
I'm Dr. Kevin Brekowitz, Samantha's husband," said the gentleman.  
"Very nice to meet you doctor, I'm Ray and this is my wife Jenny and our son Andrew," said Ray, as he shook hands with the specialist, as did Jenny and Andrew.  
"Pleasure to meet all of you, said Dr. Brekowitz as he looked at Andrew and said to the child, "So, from what I've been hearing, you've been having some belly issues."  
"Yes doctor," Andrew answered.  
"That's why I'm here, so we can take care of what's upsetting your stomach."  
Dr. Brekowitz opened a folder, read over some notes before looking back at the Stantz and said,"Now, from what I've read in the reports that my wife sent and along with the emergency room paper work, Andrew has had stomach problems fore quite sometime.  
When did it all start?"  
"Shortly before his third birthday.  
After having ice cream one evening, Andrew was having stomach pain and diarrhea.  
We though maybe he was getting a stomach bug, as that never happened before.  
But he woke up the next day feeling better, until he had cereal with milk and got sick all over again," said Jenny.  
"At first your wife told us Andrew was lactose intolerant, but he soon was having trouble with other foods, such as cauliflower, broccoli, nuts," said Ray.  
"Yes according to Andrew's notes he does have a lot of food sensitivity issues.  
In fact, due to this condition, he is quite small.  
Indeed, when Andrew got weighed at the emergency room, and at the pediatrician, both doctors said the child was low in weight for his height and age.  
However, reading the emergency room report of a possible inflammatory bowel disease, it could most likely be the cause of Andrew's issues," said Dr. Brekowitz.  
"What do you suggest?" Jenny asked.  
"I'm going to recommend we do a colonoscopy to get a closer look at the inflammation."  
Needless to say, Jenny and Ray grew concerned.  
"Wait a minute doctor, aren't colonoscopies for people 50 years and older," Ray pointed out.  
"Yes, but in this case, it's a necessary test that has to be done, Dr. Brekowitz explained, And there's no need to worry about staying at a hospital.  
A colonoscopy is an out patient procedure.  
We have to determine just how inflamed the area is and I can be able to diagnose Andrew's condition and start him on treatment to help him get better."  
Ray let out a sigh and said, "Well, if this has to be done."  
He then turned to Jenny, who said, "As much as I hate to say this, but I agree as well.  
The most important thing though is that Andrew understands."  
"What do you say Andrew?" the doctor asked.  
"I want to feel better.  
Mama and papa are sad that I'm sick and that my tummy hurts a lot."  
"I have an opening on Wednesday morning at 8am.  
Will that work?"  
"The sooner we have this done, the sooner we can get Andrew well again," Jenny answered.  
Dr. Brekowitz gave Ray and Jenny a list of instructions to prepare Andrew for the procedure, and for after the test is done.  
Best of all, there was no need to go to the hospital, as Dr. Brekowitz does the scopes at his office.  
Ray and Jenny thanked Dr. Brekowitz for all his help and that they'll see him on Wednesday.  
Andrew also thanked the doctor, who let him pick out a small item, which was a race car from the "treasure box" for being such a good patient.  
After they left, the Stantz headed to the local supermarket, to pick up the medicine Andrew needed to have before the colonoscopy, along with some extra apple juice to keep him hydrated during his prep for the test.  
The rest of the day, Ray and Jenny did their best to keep their nervousness in tack, so they it wouldn't upset Andrew.  
Thankfully, the child went about his busy of playing and reading.

The next day, around the middle part of the afternoon, Andrew began his prep for the colonoscopy.  
While most children would had thrown a tantrum of fit about taking medicine and not being able to eat until after the surgery, Andrew was really good about it.  
He only requested to take the pill with apple juice.  
Other than making frequent trips to the bathroom, which was what was suppose to happen after taking the pill, Andrew handled the situation like a champ as Ray said.  
Thankfully, the weather was rather sour that day, so there was no fuss about wanting to go outside, which Jenny was happy about as due to the medication, she was worried about if they did go out and Andrew had a problem of having to go and not being able to find a bathroom on time. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was the big day for Andrew's colonoscopy.  
While the appointment was rather early, the first one of the day actually, Ray and Jenny didn't really get much sleep the night before, as they had too much on their minds thinking about the test.  
And to their surprise, when they went to wake up Andrew, he was already up and dress to go.  
Since the family was going to be at the doctor's office most of the morning, Jenny packed a few items to have on hand such as a juice box and a thermos of water for Andrew to drink after the colonoscopy, as well as a change of clothes, in case he had an "accident."  
Andrew brought Diggy for company.

Once they arrived at the office, Ray filled out the paperwork and within a few moments, Andrew was called to get prepped for the test.  
Ray and Jenny waited outside the pre-op room as a nurse got Andrew ready.  
A short time later, Andrew, who was dressed in a hospital gown, with an IV in one arm and holding Diggy in the other was being pushed by the nurse as the two met the child's parents.  
"Dr. and Mrs. Stantz, we're ready to take Andrew to the scope room.  
One parent is allow to be in the room with him," said the nurse.  
Jenny turned to Ray and said, "You go.  
I'm too nervous."  
"Are you sure?" Ray asked.  
"Yes, go ahead.  
I'll be fine."  
Jenny then leaned over to Andrew, ran her fingers through his hair, kissed the top of his head, sang a few parts of the John Lennon tune "Beautiful Boy", a song which had became a lullaby when the child was a baby, and said, "Good luck Andrew.  
I love you."  
"I love you to mama," said a sleepy Andrew, as the medicine in the IV was making him tried.  
Jenny fought back tears, but they soon fell from her eyes.  
"My baby.  
My sweet little boy," she whispered.  
Ray then took Jenny's hands in his and said, "He'll be OK."  
Jenny nodded before she and Ray shared a kiss before he followed the nurse and Andrew to the room.  
After taking a seat in the waiting area, more tears ran down Jenny's face.  
All she could do now was take deep breaths and wait.  
As time passed, Jenny soon found herself closing her eyes.

Jenny wasn't aware of how much time came and went from the surgery, as she was jolted by something grabbing her shoulder.  
She looked up to see Ray standing next to her, with a smile on his face.  
"Everything went well," he spoke.  
Jenny got up from the chair she was sitting in, and wrapped her arms around her husband, finally breathing a sigh of relief.  
"That's wonderful.  
Can we go see him?" she asked.  
"Yes."  
A nurse lead the couple to the recovery room to see their son, who was sleeping.  
"Wake-up sleepy head," Jenny softly spoke.  
Andrew fluttered his eyes and saw his parents.  
"Is it over?" he asked.  
"It sure is little guy.  
The doctor said you did great," Ray answered.  
"Mama, can I please have an orange popsicle when we get home?"  
"Of course you can sweetheart," said Jenny, planting a kiss on the child's head.  
At that moment, the family was greeted by Dr. Brekowitz.  
"Andrew did a great job during the scope, slept through it all, he said, It will take about a day or two to go over what I found.  
It Thursday morning good to meet back at my office and go over the results?"  
"Sounds good to me," Jenny answered.  
"Look mama, papa, Diggy got a band-aid," said a now more alert Andrew, showing off the bandage on his stuffed toy.  
"And Diggy was just as brave as you were," Dr. Brekowitz said to Andrew, then back to Ray and Jenny and said, "As for the results, from what I see so far, there's nothing to be concerned about, other than the inflammation."  
Ray, Jenny and Andrew thanked Dr. Brekowitz for everything, before the physician left the room to take care of another patient.  
Once Andrew was more awake and the nurse checked his vitals, he was good to go home.  
And sure enough, once the family got home Andrew had his orange popsicle.

The next day, sometime in the afternoon, Jenny got a call from Dr. Brekowitz's office that he had all the results in and for the Stantz to come in Wednesday morning.  
Another wave of concern washed over Jenny once she got off the phone.  
Thankfully, Ray calmed her down when he returned home from work, assuring her that Andrew was going to be OK.  
The next day, Ray, Jenny and Andrew returned to the office for the results.  
"After comparing both the scan and the colonoscopy results, they both show nothing alarming other than the inflammation.  
Andrew has Terminal Ileitis, a form of Crohn's Disease," said Dr. Brekowitz.  
"How bad is it?" asked a now nervous Jenny.  
"It's actually pretty mild.  
Even though the term is called terminal, it just means that the inflammation is a problem.  
You see, the ileum, located in the small intestanse helps break down food for the body to absorb nutrients.  
In Andrew's case, his isn't, hence why he's having constant trips to the bathroom, and why he's losing so much weight."  
"I always thought it was an older person's disease," said Ray.  
"Crohn's Disease is usually diagnosed between mid teenage years to late 30's.  
However, we do have cases of children Andrew's age and younger, " the doctor pointed out.  
"What causes Crohn's?" asked Jenny.  
"Back years ago, when the disease was fairly new, it was believe that diet and stress played an impact.  
But with recent studies, Crohn's is developed by a malfunction in the immune system, meaning the body attacks the bacteria that is suppose to help the digestive system, it could stem from a pervious illness.  
"Andrew did have a that really bad stomach virus a year ago," said Ray.  
"So did you and I.  
In fact, all three of us had it at the same time.  
Andrew could had picked it up from on of the children at his daycare," said Jenny.  
"It's also a possibility of heredity," the doctor added.  
"It's my fault Andrew has this.  
My..my father had colitis.  
I remember him being in pain everyday of his life.  
It had gotten so bad, he had to go into early retire from his job as a teacher.  
He was diagnosed with colon cancer, during my sophomore year of college.  
He tried so hard to fight this, enough to see my younger brother and sister graduate high school and my older brother's wedding day.  
Dad died two weeks later, after the wedding."  
Jenny to a few deep breaths to compose herself.  
"Mrs. Stantz, I can understand how you feel.  
A lot of parents put the blame for their child's condition onto themselves.  
You are at no fault for Andrew's Crohn's," said Dr. Doctor Brekowitz.  
"Don't be sad mama, I'll be fine.  
Like you and papa told me, the doctor is going to make me feel better," said Andrew, wrapping his arms around Jenny's neck for a hug.  
Jenny found herself smiling as she hugged her son back.  
"We'll get through this," said Ray.  
"What's most important is that Andrew gets love, support and understanding from family and friends, said the doctor, who went on to say, Countinue with keeping the journals.  
Andrew is still quite young to go any type of medication, however since he does have the mildest form of Crohn's, we'll wait and see what happens once he gets a bit older.  
For now, just have children's anti-diarrhea medication, along with stool softeners in case of constipation.  
The key factor is to watch what Andrew eats.  
Nothing high in fiber, no nuts, seeds, that includes vegetables and fruit with them such as strawberries, and only soft produce, nothing raw or with skin on it.  
Limit red meat intake, caffeine, and dairy.  
Absoultly nothing fried or foods with citrus."  
"That would explain why Andrew got sick after having the strawberries on his cereal that morning," said Jenny.  
"And why he had to go to the bathroom right away, when he ate the chicken fingers and fries," Ray added.  
"What can Andrew eat?"  
Cooked vegetables, water based fruits, such as melon.  
Also soft easy to digest food such as pasta, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes."  
Dr. Brekowitz handed Jenny a book.  
"The Crohn's safe food guide and cook book," she said, reading the title.  
"It gives a full list of foods that are safe for Andrew to eat, plus meals that are part of the diet," said the doctor.  
"Dr. Brekowitz, we can't thank you enough for everything you and your wife have done to help Andrew," said Ray.  
"You both have been wonderful helping our son," Jenny added.  
"You're very welcome.  
Remember to keep up with the journals, watch what Andrew eats and I'll see you back in three months for any changes."  
The Stantz family thank the doctor once more before leaving.

The next day, Andrew was feeling well enough to return to preschool.  
He was very happy to see all his friends, especially Rhonda and Gerald, as he misses his playdates with them.  
Before class began, Jenny came to talk with Andrew's teacher, explaining his health and new diet restrictions.  
Thankfully, the teacher was very understanding, and she, along with Andrew's classmates welcomed him back and said how much they missed him.  
Andrew was worried he was going to be pick on for his newly diagnosed medical condition, but he wasn't, as the teacher tried her best to explain to the other children.

Within time, Andrew was starting to feel much better than he had in weeks, thanks to a change in diet.  
Though he still had an occasional day of issues, they weren't half as bad as before.  
By the time his birthday arrived, Andrew was feeling great to travel with his family to visit his grandma in Kentucky, during a break from school.  
Since the family was visiting, and a cousin happened to have the same birthday as Andrew, the two had a combined party.  
Jenny's family was also understanding of Andrew's health concerns, and had two cakes at the event.  
A traditional frosted cake, and a chocolate chip cookie cake with hardly any icing for Andrew.  
Ray and Jenny, who was taking pictures at the party smiled, as they watched their son blow out his candles.  
While Andrew did have new challenges to face due to his health, he along with his parents knew that while there will be some issues, things for now seem to be good.  
Ray and Jenny also knew that with love and support from themselves, along with family and friends, Andrew was going to be OK.

The End 


End file.
